Sith Apprentice Book 1 : Child of Darkness
by Essie Aster
Summary: The Jedi fight the Sith on Ruusan. The sole civilian survivor is a young human boy who is destined to become the first Sith Apprentice.
1. Prologue

A/N: forgive the formatting, my computer's being evil.

Prologue  
  
My story began long ago, in a time remembered in legend, in a place marked by history, on a planet called Ruusan. Flung into the farthest reaches of the outer rim of the Galactic Republic, this small, pathetic, orbiting mass somehow attracted the attention of two powerful forces. It was on Ruusan that these opposites collided, leaving devastation where they met.  
But my story starts before that. I am the product of long years of tradition. You see, Ruusan was run by a syndicate of criminal overlords. If there was ever another government on Ruusan, no one remembered it. The basis of Ruusan's economy was its slave trade. There slaves were bred, trained and then shipped to wherever the price was right. My mother belonged to the ruler at that time; she was a host, a tool for producing slaves. Five years before Ruusan's destruction an aggressive young business man has his way with her, producing me, an unnamed bastard, branded as a slave with a number, 50143926974. I've covered the mark, but forever it will remain branded in my mind.  
I first met the Sith when I was four. I felt a strange presence, something dark that attracted me and repulsed me at the same time. I also felt the Jedi, completely opposite yet somehow the same. I didn't understand it at first, now I know.  
It was the Jedi who caused the destruction of Ruusan, my home. I love them and I hate them. It was because of the Jedi that I became who I am. I am the first Sith Apprentice. 


	2. Chapter One

****

Chapter 1

The Sith Lord stood in silence, facing the transparasteel viewing port. Stars rotated slowly before his eyes as the ship hung in the void of space. The busy sounds of the bridge crew passed him unheeded. His thoughts were turned inward; his mind caught and traveled on the tidal wave that was the dark side of the Force. His anger raged inside of him as that name passed through his thoughts. _Dark side._ To the Sith it was simply the Force. It was the Jedi who, in their ignorance and self-righteousness, had labeled evil what they could not understand. Such a power as the Force could not be separated into light and dark. It was all. To use only what one could understand was a waste. Only in its fullness did the true power of the Force reveal itself. It took a certain level of understanding to realize this. Darth Bane had this understanding. He knew that to defeat the Jedi the Sith would have to unite as one and use the whole of the Force to fight with.

__

Unite as one? Bane heard his own voice ask inside of his head. _And what of Kree'tahl and Morath? Together their forces create half of the Brotherhood. If they turn on us or against eachother our mission is doomed._ Bane's features were drawn tight with concentration. _Our mission. Our one final attempt to overcome the Jedi who exiled us. We must not fail._

Bane sensed the presence of one of his underlings near him, waiting for a chance to speak. He ignored it. Instead he sent his thoughts outward, monitoring the rhythm of the battleship and its crew. He sensed a flux in the security. His irritation began to boil as the underling conspicuously cleared his throat. The process was cut short as the man's breath was cut off. The bridge crew paused at their work for a second but knew better than to gawk at the man unfortunate enough to have to interrupt Lord Bane. Without so much as flexing a muscle Ban tightened his invisible grip on the man momentarily. Only when the man was near unconsciousness did Bane loosen his grip ever-so-slightly.

'What is so important that you find it necessary to interrupt me?' Bane asked, unmoving.

'My Lord,' the man rasped out, vainly trying to free himself from the iron grip. His feeble attempts at using the Force irritated Bane even more. 'Lord Kaan wishes to speak with you.'

The man suddenly fell to his knees as Bane released his grip and spun toward the exit. 'Lock down the security,' he commanded, stalking out of the bridge. As the crew jumped to obey Bane the underling stood to his feet, angry and humiliated, but already forgotten by the Sith Lord. 

Bane reached his chambers, not hurrying but moving swiftly, and promptly bent one knee as he activated the holoprojector. A large figure appeared before him.

'I do not like to be kept waiting,' the figure, a holoprojection of Darth Kaan said, his voice quiet, but commanding and dreadful to hear.

Despite the distance between them Bane felt a twinge of fear well up inside of him. He forced the fear aside as he humbly bowed his head. 'Forgive me, my master.'

Kaan waited a beat, long enough to make any man squirm. Any man but Bane: he held his humbled position, unblinking, unmoving. When Kaan spoke again Bane was able to look upon the face of the an who had trained him, had raised him up to his position, and who now headed the entire Brotherhood. The hood of Kaan's cloak was thrown back revealing his angular features and bald head. The whole of his scalp as well as the back of his neck and supposedly down his spine was etched with jagged black and red tattoos. His eyes reflected everything the Sith as a whole had become since the group was expelled from the Jedi Order.

'What of your mission?' Kaan asked, dispensing with any formalities.

Bane responded in kind. 'We have no new information to report.'

'And what of my other generals?'

'There was a security breach not long ago. It has been contained but I have not yet had the chance to investigate it. I sense that our answer lies there.'

'I trust those lacking in discipline will be properly punished.'

Bane again bowed his head. 'Yes, my master. Kaan did not wait to hear Bane's affirmation. The transmission ended as Bane bowed his head, but he still spoke the words. Of the three generals of the Brotherhood Bane was the only one who devoted himself entirely to serving his master. If Kaan demanded Bane destroy his ship he would do it in a heartbeat. If Kaan demanded that his men be punished then it would be as he wished.

Bane remained kneeling for a while in the middle of his spartan chambers, meditating. He reached out with the Force, probing the ship's security. Within mere moments he discovered that the breach was, as suspected, cause by one of Kree'tahl's spies. The three security guards responsible for allowing the breach fell dead at their posts with a single thought from the Sith Lord.

Bane released his hold on the Force and rose. Silently he strode out of his chambers and traveled to meet the man foolish enough to break through his security. As he passed through the corridors he spotted two guards carrying away the lifeless body of one of their comrades. He soon reached the heart of the ship where the prisoners were held. As he neared the holding cell he was pleased to see two guards, lightsabres drawn, move to intercept him. The two men quickly backed down, recognizing their master's face.

*****

The man inside of the cell paced like a caged animal. He clenched and unclenched his fists, periodically lashing out at his jailers with the Force. He found himself blocked every time. He lashed out again, this time combining all his anger and frustration into a blast strong enough to kill any normal man. To his surprise the blast was reflected back at him, part of its energy absorbed.

'I suggest you save your strength, Porthanc. You will surely need it for what lies ahead.'

Darth Bane's shadow emerged slowly in the man's clouded vision. He felt a fountain of dread creep up inside of him. Bane was not known to be kind to his prisoners. Panic overflowed inside the captive and he made a desperate, clumsy attempt to free himself.

Darth Bane looked down at the man, unflinching. His eyes betrayed a hint of disappointment. With a quick hand motion Bane signaled the two guards to deactivate the holding cell. His moment had come. Porthanc was not ready.

*****

Darth Bane stood patiently as a 'droid injected Porthanc with another mind-weakening drug. The Force sought to blind him as he focused all of his energy on breaking the man's will. It had been three hours and Porthanc had long since given up on hiding his pain. He knew he would not live long even if Bane let him free, which would never happen. Even should Porthanc tell Bane everything he knew the Sith Lord would kill him. Only, perhaps sooner rather than later.

Porthanc fought within himself. He felt the effects of the drugs and the pain. Part of him only wanted an end to it. The other part wanted to stay loyal to his new master. He was so tired. He felt his connection with the Force slip and then disappear entirely. This was the breaking point. Try as he may there was not way for him to get it back. Without the Force aiding him he felt the pain more sharply and knew another will was battling his own. The balance of the contest broke and Porthanc cried out for an end to the torture.

Still unmoving, his men still working, Bane spoke in a dispassionate voice. 'You know what I want. Give it to me and all this will end.' Without admitting it to himself, Bane wanted the man to give up. He found no pleasure in doing this.

Porthanc closed his eyes as the pain stepped up another notch. Struggling to breath he gasped out, 'We found a large group of Jedi on Ruusan.'

'How long ago?'

'About six months.'

Bane remained silent. The pain continued.

'We don't know why they are there. They've been there for some time. We just received a message from our recon team that more have arrived and they are taking some sort of interest in the people there.'

__

Ruusan is Outer Rim. Attacking it will do little damage to the Jedi unless their numbers are sufficient. It would be a waste.

'We don't...we don't know how many there are, but more keep arriving and none leave.' Porthanc's face contorted as another burst of pain shot through him. There was little left of his right arm to cause any more pain.

Bane gestured to his aids. Suddenly the pain stopped. Porthanc only felt the ache of broken bones and torn muscles and ligaments. Nothing else. Nothing. The immediate removal of the pain was almost as painful as the pain itself. Porthanc fought to catch his breath.

Bane advanced on the incredibly weakened Sith. 'You disappoint me, Porthanc.' Bane's voice was deep, quiet, and dry. 'You were trained better than this.'

'Forgive me, master,' Porthanc whispered hoarsely.

Disgusted, Bane spun on his heel and waved to his aids as he stalked out of the room. Porthanc lived another five hours.

*****

Bane knelt again in front of the holoprojector in his chamber. The dark figure of Kaan loomed before him, silently listening to his servant's report.

'So the Jedi are on Ruusan,' Kaan said pensively. 'Kree'tahl was foolish to withhold this from me.'

'Master,' Bane started after a moment's silence.

Kaan cut him off. 'Assemble the Brotherhood. We will attack as soon as we are together.'

'Master, we have no plan of action,' Bane objected, lifting his head to look at Kaan's countenance.

'That is your job, Lord Bane,' Kaan said crisply.

Bane knew he was pushing Kaan's limit but he felt the necessity to object. 'Master, I do not think this course is wise. The Jedi could be deceiving us, leading us into an ambush.'

Kaan cut his subordinate off with an exceptionally dark glare. 'I would be loathe to have to replace my own apprentice,' he said threateningly. Bane understood clearly and closed his mouth, bowing his head again.

'Contact Kree'tahl and Morath. I will await all of you at Kahgdah. You have three days to be there.'

'Yes, my master.'

Bane gritted his teeth as the transmission ended. He wanted to lash out at something, anything. His master was clearly not thinking. He was letting the Force blind him as it sought to blind Bane. _I am stronger than Kaan. It would not be difficult..._ Bane did not complete the thought. Closing his eyes he checked his anger. He was the last general loyal to the Sith cause; he would not betray his master. His eyes still closed Bane concentrated on his breathing, slowing his breath into a steady, inaudible rhythm. As his breathing slowed his mind cleared, his anger cooled and the currents of the Force around him became less foggy. His mind began to work and he mapped out a plan for the attack. The Sith Lord struggled to ignore the irritations and lack of information that hampered his progress. _It is a delay, nothing more._

*****

It took all three days to assemble the Brotherhood at Kahgdah, a planet in a system near Ruusan. Bane conferred with Kaan about the details of his plan then briefed Morath and Kree'tahl. After the briefing, which was done via holoprojector, Bane remained motionless. His initial doubts as to whether or not the two generals would cooperate were momentarily quieted.

Bane sensed the approach of one of his lower ranking officers before the man had reached the outer door of his chambers. He heard the soft chime of an intercom page but waited before receiving the man's message. He gathered the Force into him, the two opposing sides swirling in a static battle, boosting his power above that of either Jedi or Sith. He would not let his master see the conflict inside of him.

Bane brushed his way past the terrified officers, ignoring the man's words. He mad his way quickly to the docking bay and arrived just as his master's shuttle opened. Down the loading ramp came several guards followed by Darth Kaan. All of Bane's crew present knelt down as Kaan stepped onto the deck of the battleship. Bane stood still as Kaan neared him. He matched pace with Kaan as the older Sith passed him and waited for his master to speak, leading the way in silence to the briefing room.

As they neared the briefing room Bane spotted two guards approaching, anxiously awaiting his permission to speak. Bane lifted a hand and silently suggested that the two handle the situation as they thought best. Kaan ignored their presence as he passed through the door. The two guards hurried off to the lower docking bay.

Kaan sat at the head of an oblong table and quietly looked over the data pad Bane had handed him. His brow creased in concentration as he read the details of Bane's plan.

'A well conceived plan, Lord Bane,' Kaan said after a long silence, 'but you are missing important information about the Jedi.'

Just then the door chimed and Kree'tahl and Morath strode in. Both knelt in unison and the taller, Morath, spoke for them. 'Our armies are at your command, my Lord.'


End file.
